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Well, it’s time to review the eleventh episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “World Enough And Time”. Needless to say, this review will contain SPOILERS.

The episode begins on an icy world, where the Doctor climbs out of the TARDIS and begins to regenerate. Then, we flash back in time to a giant spaceship that is hovering beside a black hole. The bridge of the spaceship is deserted. The TARDIS arrives… and Missy steps out, before introducing herself as “Doctor Who”.

And, yes, Bill and Nardole are her companions. Seriously, this would make an awesome spin-off series!

Of course, it quickly becomes clear that the Doctor is watching remotely and that it is some kind of training exercise for Missy. However, the exercise is soon interrupted by a message from a mysterious blue man who claims that humans have been detected onboard. He quickly bursts onto the bridge and brandishes a gun, frantically asking the three which one of them is human.

If he can detect that humans are there, then surely he’d be able to scan everyone and work out who is human fairly quickly.

Quickly, the Doctor emerges from the TARDIS and tells him to put the gun down. But, he points to a screen that shows a lift ascending and points out that “they” only come for humans (although this makes me wonder why he’s so scared of them if they aren’t interested in him). The Doctor tries to reason with him, but…

How heartless!

Suddenly, the lift doors open and mysterious masked men advance towards Bill’s body. Thinking quickly, the Doctor implants a message in Bill’s subconscious mind before they can carry her away to be “repaired”. Needless to say, it is up to Missy, The Doctor, Nardole and the armed man to find Bill. Whilst all of this is going on, Bill wakes up in a creepy old hospital….

Hmm… “28 Light Years Later”?

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is… WOW! There’s so much stuff to say about this episode! It’s an astonishingly good horror episode, it’s a brilliant piece of drama and it is an amazing piece of science fiction. Plus, this episode is a good example of how to start a two-part episode properly.

In other words, the episode is filled with all sorts of intriguing mysteries and shocking (but not entirely explained) plot twists that will keep you completely and utterly gripped, whilst also really wanting to see the next episode. Yes, this episode is the set up to what I presume is the series finale but what a set-up it is!

The horror elements of this episode are genuinely creepy and they mostly revolve around the mysterious hospital that Bill finds herself in.

For example, not only does this place look downright terrifying, but it is filled with masked men who occasionally scream robotically in agony or beg for death. The creepy nurse who runs the hospital responds to this by quite literally just pressing the mute button.

Seriously, this episode could almost be an actual horror movie in some parts!

Seriously, this has got to be the creepiest episode of “Doctor Who” that I’ve seen for quite a while. Not to mention that it has a real “Silent Hill” vibe to it too!

Hmmm… is this Alchemilla Hospital, by any chance?

The science fiction elements of this episode are also amazingly good too. Since the spaceship is near a black hole, time passes at a different speed in different parts of this ship and this element ends up becoming a central part of the plot. Unlike the “science fantasy” of some episodes of “Doctor Who”, this one actually tries to be a work of “hard” science fiction.

Likewise, the episode also takes a lot of influence from classic dystopian sci-fi too – with the run-down hospital and the grimy city surrounding it resembling something from a dystopian sci-fi film.

Seriously, if those buildings were a little taller and there were a few neon lights, this could almost pass for a scene from “Blade Runner”!

Not only that, the episode also explains some of the motivations behind the existence of the creepy hospital, which actually makes it even scarier (since the people living there are in such a dire situation that they’re forced to resort to horrific medical experiments in order to prolong their lives).

As for the story of the episode, it is brilliant on so many levels. Not only does this episode begin to explain a part of the show’s mythology but there are other shocking reveals too, such as the fact that Missy and The Master actually meet each other (and it is left at least mildly ambiguous whether they are different people or the same person at different points in their life).

And, yes, that isn’t even the most shocking thing about this scene!

But, shocking plot twists aside, the “ordinary” storytelling in this episode is really good too, with a very good mixture of witty dialogue, suspenseful horror and intriguing science fiction. Although the pacing of this episode is deliberately slow (perhaps to mirror the fact that time moves at a different speed), it never once gets dull or boring in any way.

The set design and special effects in this episode are, in a word, sublime. Some parts of the episode look like a cross between “Silent Hill” and “Blade Runner“. The lighting design is absolutely spectacular too, with clever placement of blue, red and orange lighting in some parts of the episode. Likewise, the level of special effects in this episode is easily on par with a mid-high budget Hollywood movie. This episode is cinematic!

Seriously, this is one of the coolest-looking spaceship bridges I’ve ever seen!

And this location looks like both something from “Silent Hill” AND something from “Blade Runner” 🙂

And the lighting in this lift is AMAZING 🙂

All in all, this episode is astonishingly good in so many ways. Not only that, it will also leave you eager to watch next week’s episode too. It succeeds as a horror episode and as a science fiction episode too. Despite the occasionalmisstep along the way, it really seems like this series of “Doctor Who” is just getting better and better in so many ways.

Well, it’s time to review the tenth episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “The Eaters Of Light”. Needless to say, this review will contain some SPOILERS.

The episode begins with two children exploring a cairn in Scotland, with one of the children claiming to hear music and the other one worried about a scary local legend involving the cairn. A crow lands on one of the stones and starts cawing. The noises sound like “Doc-Tor“. The camera pans to the ancient carvings on the stones, and we get to see a certain vintage police telephone box.

Historically inaccurate!!!!

Then we see the TARDIS arriving in 2nd Century Aberdeen. Despite Nardole’s objections, The Doctor has travelled there in order to settle a historical argument with Bill about the location of the Roman ninth legion. Of course, Bill and the Doctor both decide to go their separate ways to look for the Romans, and prove each other wrong.

Seriously, of ALL the things to have an argument about…

Of course, it isn’t long before Bill notices a fire and decides to investigate. However, she is soon chased away by an angry Pict. Taking refuge in a pit of some kind, she finds a solitary Roman soldier who is hiding there. After establishing that, yes, the TARDIS’s translation software is working properly, they talk and he tells her that he is a deserter from his unit.

The lighting in this scene is amazing 🙂 It’s like a Caravaggio painting!

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Nardole discover a dead Roman soldier – who has seemingly died from lack of sunlight, of all things. Of course, it isn’t long before they also find a devastated and deserted Roman encampment. Of course, it’s time to investigate….

CSI: Caledonia. Coming to the BBC this autumn!

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is that it’s a good old-fashioned “monster of the week”-style episode, yet it still manages to set itself apart as something distinctive too. A lot of this is due to the witty dialogue, the characterisation, the setting and the structure of the episode. Seriously, compared to some other “monster of the week” episodes in this series, this one is pretty much a work of art!

There’s so much to say about this episode. For a lot of the episode, there are two parallel storylines – with The Doctor and Nardole being prisoners of the Picts, and Bill hanging out with the Romans. Of course, both sides are bitter enemies and both see themselves as mighty warriors, yet are both also absolutely terrified by the monster that threatens them both.

And, given the amount of weaponry, they’re also a little nervous about The Doctor too.

In fact, although it isn’t really that much of a horror episode, fear is one of the main themes of the episode – with the general theme that it’s perfectly natural to feel afraid. Likewise, the fact that the Romans and Picts have more in common with each other than they think is also emphasised by a later part of the episode where the TARDIS’s translator actually allows them to understand each other – and they realise that they’re just people rather than terrifying invaders or savage barbarians.

Plus, although there are a lot of additional characters in this episode – both the Romans and the Picts get a reasonable amount of characterisation, with the main theme being that they’re both really just groups of frightened teenagers who are trying to appear brave [Edit: More so with the Picts than the Romans – since the Roman soldiers point out that they are deserters]. Again, they have more in common than they think.

The pacing of this episode is reasonably good too, being neither too fast nor too slow. Likewise the monster design and special effects in this episode are kind of cool too. For a lot of the episode, the monster is shrouded in darkness, with only it’s bioluminescent tentacles being visible. However, when it is revealed, it is a giant dragon-like creature.

Yes, it’s scarier when you don’t see it fully. But, this is probably part of the theme of “light and darkness” that is also a major part of the episode.

The best special effects in the episode can be seen in one of the more sci-fi based parts of the episode, which revolves around a really cool-looking temporal rift.

Yes, it might be a dangerous temporal rift but, damn, does it look cool!

Not only does this provide lots of cool blue mood lighting, but it also allows the episode to include the fascinating idea of time passing at different speeds too (which is a central part of the plot later in the episode too).

In addition to this, the set design (mostly forests, caves and huts) is fairly good. But, the best part of the episode is – by far – the lighting. Seriously, the episode is filled with so much awesome chiaroscuro lighting that, as I mentioned earlier, makes the episode look a bit like an old Caravaggio painting [edit: Like this one].

Yay! Chiaroscuro 🙂

..And these wonderfully ominous clouds too!

And I’m sure I’ve seen a Cradle Of Filth music video that looks a little bit like this.

The episode is also filled with lots of witty dialogue too, with some of the strongest writing that I’ve seen so far this series. However, one segment of dialogue might be either uplifting (and surprisingly realistic) and/or eye-rollingly annoying, depending on how you look at it.

Basically, after Bill stays with the Romans for a while, one of the soldiers jokes that another soldier is attracted to Bill. After a little bit of hesitation, Bill decides to come out to them (which is kind of realistic, given that coming out isn’t something people only do once in their entire lives). Despite Bill’s nervousness, the Romans are… well.. Romans.

Seriously, Bill mentioned that she read a book about Roman history earlier in the episode. So, you’d think she’d already know that they weren’t exactly the most narrow-minded people in history.

Amusingly, one of the Romans also points out that it’s kind of strange that she’s only attracted to one type of people (This is, sort of, realistic. The concept of dividing people into categories based on orientation only appeared in the 19th century, after all. Prior historical discrimination against LGBT people was based on specific actions rather than who a person is). And, yes, it’s also great to actually see bi characters in a TV show too (seriously, there really aren’t many of them on TV).

But, even so, the whole scene feels like it has been shoehorned into the episode in order to deliver a lecture to the audience. Yes, it’s surprisingly realistic in a number of ways. But the idea of Bill suddenly coming out to the Romans rather than just subtly dropping hints or making some kind of excuse or something seems oddly (and perhaps unrealistically/optimistically) bold.

But, this realism doesn’t really extend to all of the historical details in this episode though. Unfortunately, having watched a few history/film criticism videos (like these) on Youtube a while back, I now tend to notice historical inaccuracies a lot more than I used to – and there are a few here.

When a Roman soldier draws his gladius, it makes a loud metallic “shing!” sound (and, as this video shows, swords don’t do this! ). Likewise, one of the Roman soldiers is holding a flaming torch in the wrong way.

Seriously, he’d be too dazzled by the flames to actually see anything.

Surprisingly, I thought that one of the shields that one of the Picts was carrying was a possibly historically inaccurate medieval “buckler” shield. But, looking on Google Images, actual iron age shields may possibly have been tiny metal things (either that or only the shield bosses survived to the present day, with the wood surrounding them rotting away over time). So, you learn something every day, I guess.

Yes, that guy in the background may actually be carrying a realistic shield. Or just a shield boss. Who knows?

All in all, this is a surprisingly good episode. The characterisation, pacing and dialogue is absolutely brilliant. The lighting is superb and, thanks to the slightly greater level of thematic and structural complexity, this episode is something more than just a “monster of the week” episode.

If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get four and a half.

Well, it’s time to review the ninth episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “Empress Of Mars”. Needless to say, this review will contain some MAJOR SPOILERS.

The episode begins with a group of NASA scientists eagerly awaiting a transmission from a probe that they’ve sent to Mars. Before the transmission can arrive, The Doctor and Bill turn up to watch.

One of the scientists explains that the probe uses a type of technology that will enable them to see what is underneath Mars’ ice caps. Of course, the transmission from the probe arrives a few seconds later….

Sorry NASA, it looks like Britain got there first!

Using the TARDIS, the Doctor traces the message back to the year 1881 and, along with Bill and Nardole, travels to Mars to investigate. They explore a series of tunnels underneath the Martian ice cap until they suddenly notice that there is a fire burning. Since there’s fire, there’s oxygen … and someone already there.

Soon, both The Doctor and Bill discover that the British army has set up camp on Mars. The 19th century soldiers have travelled there after discovering a crashed spaceship in South Africa. A creature called an Ice Warrior was comatose inside the ship and, after they nursed him back to health and named him Friday, he led them to Mars with the promise that there were riches to be mined:

And, yes, the episode even explains that Friday’s name is a “Robinson Crusoe” reference, as if nobody could work that out themselves.

Of course, both The Doctor and Bill are appalled by the fact that Mars has become part of the British Empire. But, the military officers point out that they haven’t found anything on Mars and are possibly thinking of abandoning the planet. Of course, a few minutes later, the mining team breaks through into a sealed room and discovers a large golden sarcophagus….

Huzzah! Treasure?

The Doctor warns them that this is a hibernating Ice Queen and that they should leave Mars before she wakes up. But, a while later, one of the soldiers decides that it would be a good idea to pry off one of the jewels on the side of the sarcophagus with his pocket-knife…

It’s just one little gemstone. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Soon, it is up to Bill and The Doctor to try to negotiate a peace between the Ice Queen’s reawakening army of Ice Warriors and the Victorians…..

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is that it’s actually a slightly better episode than I had expected. The preview trailer from last week and a description in the TV listings that went something like “…this time, mankind is the aggressor” made me worry that this would be a silly episode that would also be filled with heavy-handed political lectures, like some previous episodes in the series (such as this one and this one).

But, for the most part, this episode is actually a reasonably good piece of old-school sci-fi drama. One of the things that really helps to keep the episode interesting is the fact that the conflict between the humans and the Ice Warriors is a bit more morally-ambiguous than it first appears.

Whilst the Doctor initially appears to take the side of the Ice Warriors, he also realises that they would probably massacre the humans if given the chance.

Rather than a simplistic “good vs evil” episode, the episode is about a conflict between two aggressive military powers and, by extension, two queens (Queen Victoria and the Ice Queen – hence the ambiguous title of the episode and the “God Save The Queen” message at the beginning).

Even so, the Doctor still manages to squeeze in a “state the obvious” lecture about how colonialism is wrong. But, this is fairly brief. The same is true for the other few “obvious” political moments in the episode.

Likewise, the story of this episode isn’t entirely predictable either, and the ending is actually surprisingly clever (with neither side deciding to stay on Mars – for practical reasons, rather than ideological ones).

Another thing that helps to keep this episode interesting is the characterisation. Whether it is Friday’s somewhat conflicted loyalties, the ill-disciplined Victorian troops, or the tension between Colonel Godsacre and the treacherous Captain Catchlove, this episode puts a reasonable amount of effort into the characters. This helps the episode to rise above predictable silliness in some parts.

Yes, the Colonel is probably one of the most complex and interesting characters in the episode.

Still, that isn’t to say that this episode isn’t silly at times. I mean, it’s about Victorian soldiers and reptilian aliens on Mars! It is probably also based on old “Doctor Who” episodes from the 1970s/80s too. Still, the melodramatic parts of the episode are played to full effect and help to add some light-hearted comedy and drama to the episode.

Whether it’s the fact that the Ice Queen gives a very movie-like (for want of a better description) speech to her awakening army or the hilariously old-fashioned Victorian dialogue (eg: “I dare say that the British army is more than a match for a bunch of upright crocodiles” LOL!!), there’s lots of enjoyably silly melodrama here too.

Likewise, the costume design in this episode is pretty much what you would expect. The Ice Warriors look a little bit like people in rubber suits, but this fits in well with the “vintage Doctor Who” atmosphere of the episode. Although I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy of the 19th century military uniforms, they look fairly similar to other depictions of Victorian soldiers that I’ve seen. Even so, the episode manages a few interesting steampunk flourishes too:

I say! Does that space-suit contain a built in gramophone?

The lighting and set design in this episode are surprisingly good too. The episode will often contrast the gloomy red/orange Martian caves with bright blue lighting and/or fog.

Orange and blue are apparently the most visually-pleasing complementary colour pair in existence (it’s why these colours appear in movie posters so often) and this fact is used to good effect in many parts of this episode.

This is only a small scene, but the set design and lighting looks really, really cool.

Seriously, you can’t go wrong with orange and blue. Which is probably why it’s so common in movies etc…

The episode also includes some really awesome ominous red/blue lighting too.

All in all, this is an ok episode of “Doctor Who”. It certainly isn’t the best episode in the series (so far, that title probably goes to either “Extremis” or “The Lie Of The Land“), but it is hardly the worst either. There’s some vintage-style sci-fi, a plot that veers enjoyably between serious drama and silly melodrama, and some fairly decent set design too.

If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get something between three-and-a-half and four.

Well, it’s time to review the eighth episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “The Lie Of The Land”. Needless to say, this review will contain some SPOILERS. Likewise, this episode seems to be the final part of the recent three-episode story arc. So, although this week’s episode possibly works as a stand-alone episode, you’re best watching the previous two episodes first.

The episode begins with a propaganda broadcast, where The Doctor talks enthusiastically about how the monks are good for humanity. This is accompanied by altered footage of Earth’s history, with the monks being present at all key moments.

There’s even a Vitruvian monk too!

Fun fact: The “M” in “E=MC2” stands for “monk” in this timeline.

This montage is then revealed to be a propaganda broadcast that the Doctor is presenting. Needless to say, Earth has been turned into a gloomy, drab totalitarian dystopia, in the style of something like “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, “V For Vendetta”, “SS-GB”, “Half Life 2” or “Children Of Men”. There are even thought police too!

Who, like Judge Dredd, have the power to sentence people on the spot. However, their ominous red and black uniforms are a little unimaginative though.

Whilst all of this is going on, Bill is sitting in a room and imagining a conversation with her mother. Every day it becomes harder for her to remember life before the monks arrived. Plus, every few minutes, her mind is filled with images of the monks. Yet, she is determined to hold on to the memory of Earth’s true history.

The episode also contains occasional voice-overs of Bill talking to her mum too. These voice overs also help to add extra atmosphere to the episode too.

Then, suddenly, there is an ominous knock on the door! Luckily, it’s just Nardole (who has been ill for six weeks following the events of the previous episode). He tells Bill that the Doctor is being held on an old prison hulk moored off of the Scottish coast. Needless to say, it isn’t long before they begin planning a rescue mission. However, things don’t quite go to plan….

And, no, Bill isn’t pointing that gun at the guards!

The first thing that I will say about this episode is that it is an absolutely brilliant piece of old-school dystopian sci-fi! But, although I’d expected it to be slightly slower and more contemplative episode that would be more in keeping with many other things in this genre, the episode’s twist-filled story moves forward at a surprisingly fast pace.

Even though this is a refreshing change from the slightly slower pacing of the previous episode, the idea and premise behind this episode is so good that the episode just feels too short. There’s lots of fascinating stuff and thrilling drama here, but it almost seems to flash past too quickly. If only this episode had been twice the length! Still, forty-five minutes of high-quality dystopian sci-fi isn’t exactly a bad thing either.

Of course, it still contains several classic tropes of the genre, such as the plucky band of resistance fighters…

Although the episode is fairly light on humour, and the storyline goes in some fairly serious directions, the episode manages to avoid becoming too sombre or depressing due to the fast pacing, the intriguing premise and the emotional ending.

Yes, this isn’t really a comedy episode.

One of the central themes of this episode, like with the first episode in the story arc, is the theme of truth and lies. Not only is this reflected in several of the episode’s plot twists, but this theme is handled in both a topical and a slightly more “timeless” way.

On the one hand, the monks’ rewriting of history and the Ministry Of Truth-like propaganda pyramid that the monks have built in London have echoes of George Orwell.

Likewise, thinking about it, the pyramid is probably also designed to evoke old American conspiracy theories about the “illuminati” too.

Yet, at the same time, there’s also more topical stuff too – like a brief comment about “fake news” and a destroyed statue (which is vaguely reminiscent of the toppled statues of Saddam Hussein during the 2003 Iraq war).

This mixture of old and new really helps to lend the episode a suitable level of gravitas, whilst avoiding the heavy-handed politics of some other episodes in the series (like this one or this one).

Another outstandingly good thing about this episode is the set design and lighting design. Dystopian sci-fi is a genre that consistently has astonishingly beautiful set design (“Blade Runner” being the classic example) and this episode really doesn’t disappoint here.

The set designs here are reminiscent of films like “Children Of Men” and “Blade Runner”, with a slight hint of the BBC’s recent “SS-GB” TV series too. Seriously, this is one of the most cool-looking episodes of “Doctor Who” so far this series!

This room manages to look wonderfully retro and ominously modern at the same time 🙂

The lighting in this scene is reminscent of both the later scenes of “Blade Runner” and some parts of “SS-GB” too 🙂

Then there are these docks, which look a bit like both the opening scene from “Blade Runner” and the first level of the original “Deus Ex” too 🙂

In addition to all of the stuff that I’ve mentioned, this episode also somehow finds time to deal with some of the over-arching backstory of the series. Not only does Missy make another appearance, but she also has some extra character development too.

This little scene at the end of the episode is especially surprising. Then again, who knows if Missy was really being serious?

Plus, the cool moment in the first episode where The Doctor gives Bill a box of photos takes on a slightly greater level of significance in this episode.

All in all, this is an incredibly dramatic episode that somehow manages to cram a lot of storytelling into just 45 minutes. The set designs are beautiful, the story is compelling and it is a suitably dramatic conclusion to the recent three-part story arc. Yes, I’d have liked to see more of the dystopian world that the monks have created but this is a small complaint about a really good episode.

But, from the preview at the end of the episode, the next episode seems like it will be a thoroughly silly episode about Victorian soldiers on Mars (it even includes the phrase “walking crocodiles!” [or “upright crocodiles”, I can’t remember] said in a suitably stuffy and indignant way LOL!).

Well, if this preview is anything to go by, I guess that the serious drama of this story arc will be balanced out by something totally silly next week.

Anyway, if I had to give “The Lie Of The Land” a rating out of five, it would get at least four and a half.

Well, it’s time to review the seventh episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “The Pyramid At The End Of The World”. Needless to say, this review will contain some SPOILERS.

The episode begins with a recap of the previous episode, intercut with new scenes of Bill and Penny spending the evening together and talking about The Doctor.

Plus, these new scenes help to keep the recap interesting if you’ve already seen the previous episode.

However, after Bill tells Penny about the Pope interrupting them during the simulation, there is a sudden noise and the room is swiftly filled with soldiers!

It seems like disappointing dates are some kind of universal constant for Bill.

The soldiers are guarding the Secretary General of the UN, who wants to talk to Bill because she knows how to find The Doctor. As is standard in all world-threatening emergencies, the Doctor has been appointed temporary president of Earth and the UN need to find him.

When Bill asks why, the Secretary General shows her a map of a disputed area, with the US, Russian and Chinese armies nearby. There is a pyramid in the middle. A 5000 year old pyramid. A 5000 year old pyramid that wasn’t there yesterday…..

Either that, or Google Earth really hasn’t been updated for this part of the world for quite a while…

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is that it seems to be another two-part episode. However, unlike the previous episode, this episode is much more of a thriller-style episode.

In the classic sci-fi thriller sense of the term. Seriously, don’t expect this episode to be an action movie or anything like that.

The zombie-like aliens inside the pyramid want to force humanity to ask for their leadership (with the rationale that love is a better form of control than fear, despite using all sorts of scare tactics to obtain said love) and The Doctor has to come up with some stratagem to stop them manipulating humanity into agreeing to their proposals.

There is some interesting political stuff here, such as the UN and military characters eventually deciding to informally take back political control of Earth, despite appointing The Doctor president a while earlier. In some ways, the entire episode is possibly a musing on the nature of democracy – especially since the antagonists in the episode constantly ask for the “consent” of humanity (I’m guessing that this could possibly be a reference to Herman & Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent“, but I haven’t actually read this book)

Another interesting thing about this episode is the sub-plot, which takes place inside a GM food laboratory in Yorkshire that handles dangerous chemicals. In many ways, this part of the episode reminded me a bit of something from a brilliantly cheesy old TV show called “Bugs“, which was kind of cool.

Yay! Boring, but vaguely futuristic, laboratories! I’ve missed you!

However, the events of these segments of the episode are somewhat predictable (eg: a hungover scientist working with dangerous chemicals etc..) and they undercut the mystery of some earlier parts of the episode.

Yes, the makers of the show need to get the audience up to speed with what is happening. But, given that a central part of the episode is The Doctor trying to work out how the aliens are going to force humanity to ask for their help, actually showing this to the audience before The Doctor knows about it robs the episode of some of it’s suspense. Even so, it is still a good set up for the episode’s shocking cliffhanger ending.

Although this episode is a thriller episode, it is an old-school thriller with the focus placed firmly on strategy, thought and experimentation rather than on mindless action. This is all backed up with lots of really well-written dialogue that is filled with the kind of witty lines and pithy observations that define the show. The relative lack of action in the episode also helps to give the episode’s fantastical events a slightly more “realistic” tone.

Yes, a fair amount of the episode consists of discussions in this briefing room

Plus, the suspense is also increased by the enormity of the threat that the Earth faces. At one point the Doctor actually orders the three armies to launch a strike on the pyramid as a show of strength. Yet, even this uncharacteristic moment of belligerence doesn’t exactly end as planned:

Hey! Teleportation is cheating!

And they can also do THIS too. Earth is doomed!

The set design and special effects in this episode are also fairly good and are on par with a mid-budget movie of some kind or another. The coolest location in the episode is probably the centre of the pyramid, where the aliens view various possible timelines via a cool-looking glowing thing.

Because a computer or a machine of some kind would just look boring. Seriously though, I love the mood lighting here 🙂

All in all, this episode is a surprisingly compelling thriller episode. Yes, it seems to be the set up for the much cooler next episode (which, from the preview, seems to be proper old-school dystopian sci-fi 🙂 ), but it does this really well. Yes, the cliffhanger ending is a little annoying and the scenes set in the lab should have been saved until later in the episode, but even so it’s a proper old-school sci-fi thriller episode.

If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would just about get a four.

Well, it’s time to review the sixth episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “Extremis”. Needless to say, this review will contain some SPOILERS.

The episode begins “A long time ago”, on a balcony beside a lake. A man talks ominously about an execution involving a timelord-killing weapon, whilst The Doctor listens solemnly. However, it soon turns out that it isn’t the Doctor who is going to be executed, but someone else….

On the plus side, Missy is back!

Under some kind of galactic law, The Doctor must serve as the executioner and then must guard the body for a thousand years (Yes, this explains the mysterious vault and the Doctor’s oath). Needless to say, the Doctor isn’t happy about the idea of being an executioner and is racked by moral conflict. However, before he can make a decision, the title credits roll and the events of the episode begin.

Back in the present day, The Doctor is still blind from the events of the previous episode. However, he is able to use his sonic sunglasses in a similar manner to Geordi La Forge‘s VISOR from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. He can see elements of the world, but this is relayed through sonar and computer data. Still, he decides to keep his blindness a secret.

Yes, this is all that The Doctor can see. Still, it has a really cool green/black colour scheme, like “The Matrix”.

However, a while later, he is visited by a cardinal from the Vatican who says that the Pope requests his help. A few seconds later, the pope appears – having made the journey due to the urgency of the situation. The cardinal tells the Doctor of a mysterious heretical document in the Vatican’s vaults called “The Veritas” which apparently drives all who read it to suicide. For reasons that aren’t explained at this point, they want The Doctor to try reading it….

Amusingly, despite the TARDIS being able to translate any language, the Pope still speaks in Italian (?) and the cardinal has to translate for the Doctor in this scene.

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is “WOW!!!”. After the disappointment of the previous episode, my hopes for this one weren’t that high. Yet, this episode absolutely excels itself in so many ways! It’s a great sci-fi episode! It’s a great horror episode! It’s a great thriller episode! It also contains a few memorably hilarious comedic moments too.

Such as an uninvited guest suddenly showing up when Bill is trying to have a romantic evening.

There are almost too many cool things to mention about this episode. There’s a mysterious underground library, there are some elements from the cyberpunk genre, there’s a scary mystery, there are some hilarious moments, there’s more of the Doctor and Missy’s backstory and there are…. zombies !!! 🙂

Ok, they’re technically aliens… or demons, or both. But, they look an awful lot like zombies!

All of these brilliant elements are connected together in a really clever way, which actually helps them to be greater than the sum of their parts.

The science fiction elements actually follow some kind of logic (unlike the “we’ll make it up as we go along” science fantasy of some earlier episodes/series of the show) and this helps to explain the thriller and horror elements of the episode. The comedic moments of the episode also feel like an organic part of the story and, along with the thriller elements, also help to leaven the seriousness of what could be a fairly depressing story in the hands of a lesser writer.

And, yes, this episode is surprisingly dark for a “Doctor Who” episode. Drunken scientists gleefully blow themselves into oblivion with dynamite, a high-ranking American politician overdoses on medication, a priest shoots himself and a couple of major characters also die horribly too. Yes, the ending puts a slightly different spin on what happens, but it is still a surprisingly creepy and dark episode of the show. As a good horror episode of “Doctor Who” should be.

Worst. Party. Ever!

And, although I won’t spoil the ending, I love how this episode is both a (mostly) self-contained story whilst also being part of a story arc. Rather than an unsatisfying and annoying “to be continued…” ending, the episode tells a single story which seems to be the set-up for another more spectacular story. Many of the main plot points of the episode are resolved in a really clever way, whilst also leaving the audience wanting more.

Likewise, we also get a payoff to the mystery of the vault beneath the university. Although the brief presence of John Simm in the “later in the series” trailer at the end of the first episode clued me in to the fact that The Master was probably inside the vault, I didn’t expect The Master to still be Missy instead [EDIT: Yes, Missy appears in this trailer too. But, I assumed that the Master’s past self was in the vault whilst Missy was still out there].

Likewise, the way that The Doctor resolves his moral conflict about executing Missy is yet another “Star Trek” reference (he doesn’t explicitly mention it, but it’s hard not to think of Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru in this scene).

The set design in this episode is also astonishingly good, with a wide variety of locations on show in this episode. From the creepily cold white walls of various futuristic/scientific locations, to suitably gloomy old buildings and a few other interesting locations, the set designs are fairly atmospheric and absolutely brilliant.

The cake is a lie! (And, yes, I’m several years behind on game references…)

They must have built this set just for this episode, since the Oval Office hardly ever turns up in TV shows made over here.

Likewise, the background music in the episode contains very slight hints of the theme tune to “Sherlock”, which fits in really well with the investigation/mystery at the centre of the episode’s story.

And, as if this couldn’t get any cooler, the preview for the next episode seems to include Ancient Egyptian pyramids! Awesome!!!!! 🙂

Yes, the preview of the next episode seems to show Bill and The Doctor exploring a pyramid 🙂

All in all, this episode is a brilliant return to form after the slight disappointment of the previous episode. It is a brilliant blend of horror, science fiction, cyberpunk, thrilling mystery, serious drama and amusing comedy. It sets up the events of the next episode without leaving the viewer feeling short-changed or disappointed. It also helps to develop the central story of the series too. It’s probably the best episode of the series so far.

Well, it’s time to review the fifth episode in the new series of “Doctor Who”. Again, although I’m not sure how many of the new episodes I’ll end up reviewing or how long it will take me to review them. But, I’ll try to review as many as I can.

So, that said, let’s take a look at “Oxygen”. Needless to say, this review will contain MAJOR SPOILERS.

The episode begins with the Doctor saying “Space… The final frontier. Final because it wants to kill you“. We see two astronauts walking on the outside of a space station, their oxygen is low and they are trying to find a way inside. However, just as one of them gets to the airlock controls… something lands behind the other astronaut. What could it be?

A zombie! In space! A space zombie!

Back on Earth, the Doctor is giving a lecture about the cold void of space and how it is especially deadly because the pressure differences can quicky boil all of the fluids in someone’s body if they aren’t wearing a spacesuit. One student asks him why he’s talking about space in the middle of a lecture about crop rotation.

And, yes, he draws a skull on the board behind him. A space skull. Hmm… that would make a good name for a metal band actually…

A while later, Nardole notices that the Doctor misses space and gives him a stern lecture about remaining on Earth. So, naturally, The Doctor meets up with Bill in the TARDIS and asks her to choose anywhere in space to visit.

Nardole shows up and begins to lecture the Doctor again, before claiming to have sabotaged the TARDIS to prevent the Doctor from leaving Earth. Yet, before they can resolve their argument, they get a distress signal from a space station….

One of the first things that I will say about this episode is that it is very much a horror episode.

Sci-fi horror is a brilliant genre, the zombie genre is also a brilliant genre too. Not to mention that the preview trailer from last week reminded me of this animated Youtube video too. However, the episode both succeeds and fails at being a great sci-fi horror episode.

The best way to describe the story and atmosphere of the episode is that it is like something from “Red Dwarf“, but without the comedy. Seriously, with a few changes, this would actually make a fairly good episode of “Red Dwarf”.

Even the computer screens look a little bit like something from Red Dwarf, albeit without any amusing background text.

In terms of emotional tone, this episode is surprisingly bleak. Whilst most horror episodes of the show usually accompany the horror with humour, this episode actually takes the horror elements a bit more seriously and this works surprisingly well in terms of creating suspense and drama.

But, as much as horror is part of “Doctor Who”, so is comedy. Yes, sci-fi horror is cool. But, sci-fi horror comedy would be even better! Yes, there are a few amusing lines of dialogue but, for the most part, this episode is very much a “serious drama”.

Even this reference to the previous series is more of a sombre scene than anything else…

Even so, the horror parts of this episode work really well. The zombies, although not technically zombies, are proper old-school slow-moving zombies who are also vaguely reminiscent of the Borg from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Since they are controlled by a computer (or, technically, their space suits are), they sometimes tend to act more like machines than people – which adds to the chilling atmosphere of the episode.

However, most of the time, they just act like good old fashioned zombies…

The horror elements of the episode are also enhanced by the fact that the space station’s computer rigidly follows the policies of the company who owns the station (which include selling oxygen to the inhabitants and venting any “unauthorised oxygen” to preserve oxygen’s market value). This is a fact that is also cleverly exploited by the Doctor in a later part of the episode.

Likewise, a lot of drama comes from the fact that Bill ends up inside a malfunctioning space suit that has a habit of freezing, helmet problems etc… which adds a bit of extra drama to a few scenes, albeit in a slightly predictable way sometimes.

In terms of the characters, the few survivors left on the station are -as you might expect – pessimistic, grim and frightened.

When we first see the survivors, they are already armed. Yet, they haven’t shot ANY of the slow-moving zombies on the station…

Another problem with the episode is that it is very heavy-handed with it’s politics. The episode is meant to be a satire about corporations and capitalism but, unlike in great cyberpunk films like “Robocop” and “Blade Runner“, the writer of this episode doesn’t seem to credit the audience with enough intelligence to work this out for themselves from the many clues scattered throughout the episode.

Throwing subtlety and nuance to the wind, The Doctor even gives a speech about the “logical end point of capitalism” at one point. Even Jeremy Corbyn would probably consider the politics of this speech to be “a bit too far left”! I mean, The Doctor practically quotes Karl Marx (and his later comment about capitalism only lasting another six months is oddly radical for a show that is ordinarily just moderately liberal).

More importantly, the satire also doesn’t work because it contradicts itself! The main point of the episode is that the soulless corporation who runs the station thinks that it is cheaper to kill the workers and convert them into zombies. Yet, earlier in the episode, we see an empty space suit being controlled by the station’s computer. Surely, it would be even cheaper for the greedy mega-corporation to just send 40+ empty suits to the station, and just 5-6 technicians to make sure that the suits are working properly.

Yes, this one scene early in the episode completely and utterly undermines the political point that the later parts of the episode try to make.

There’s also a somewhat cringe-worthy scene where an alien called Dahh-ren accuses Bill of racism and – with a limited supply of oxygen left- they spend a while discussing this topic instead of planning how they’re going to escape from the deadly space station whilst they still can. Given the context of the scene, the discussion just comes across as being shoehorned into the episode for the sake of it.

Then again, I’m not sure if this scene is a clever satire of modern online political critics’ constant demands that the media includes more political discussion, or an example of how reading too much online political criticism can affect the creative process.

This is not to say that sci-fi shouldn’t include politics. It’s an intelligent genre for intelligent people, and any speculation about the future will inevitably involve politics. But, political subtext in science fiction should just be that… subtext. It shouldn’t dominate or overwhelm critical moments in the story. A political sci-fi story should be a story that also makes a point about politics, rather than a political lecture that gets in the way of the story.

All in all, this is both a good and a bad episode. The parts with the space zombies, the suspenseful horror elements and the chilling mystery of why the space station turned rogue are absolutely brilliant. The heavy-handed politics and the relative lack of comedy are somewhat less brilliant. When this episode is good, it is really good. When it isn’t, it really isn’t.

If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get about three and a half. The episode has a great premise and some brilliantly chilling scenes, but it needs more subtlety, nuance and humour too.